Absurd Ventures, founded by former Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser, has announced an agreement with Smilegate to publish the company’s first game. Taking place in its A Better Paradise universe, it will be an open-world sci-fi action adventure with a triple-A scope.
The unnamed title is in early development with Houser serving as the writer and creative director. Lazlow and Michael Unsworth, who have also worked with him in the past on Grand Theft Auto, are also part of the creative team. It’s also worth noting that while Smilegate made a strategic investment in the company last year, it’s planning “full-scale investment” and funding development on the new title.
In a press release, Smilegate CEO Sung Joon-ho said, “We are thrilled to take on this new challenge in the global AAA game market alongside Dan Houser and Absurd. We are confident that the strong storytelling of the A Better Paradise universe, combined with the development capabilities of the Absurd team, will result in an outstanding title.
“We are a company with a developer-first DNA and truly understand what development studios need. Through our partnership with Absurd, we will fully support the A Better Paradise game project and do our utmost to help create a new title that will be loved by players around the world. Smilegate will leverage its extensive experience and success in global markets to ensure the A Better Paradise project becomes a beloved success worldwide.”
Houser added, “Absurd Ventures was set up to tell new and different kinds of stories, and to create what I hope are interesting and compelling original experiences. This new game is an opportunity to go somewhere entirely different and to take players on an entirely new adventure. I am excited to be going on this journey with the amazing team that we are building here at Absurd Ventures, and I am grateful that we are partnering with Smilegate, who really understand and support our vision.”
The results may take a while to manifest, but it should be interesting to observe, especially in the wake of MindsEye’s failure. Helmed by former Rockstar North president and GTA producer Leslie Benzies, it launched to negative reviews from critics and players. There have been updates to address the many issues, but the promised Hitman collaboration is delayed, and Build A Rocket Boy’s employees are allegedly at risk of layoffs.
